Apparatus for making therapeutical appliances



G. L. WINDER 2,053,357

APPARATUS FOR MAKING THERAPEUTICAL APPLIANCES Flled March 28 1934nL/E'Tflbz? 55:75 E .L'MHUEE Sept. 8, 1936.

Patented Sept. 8, 1936 I I a I 'UETE STATES APPARATUS I FOR MAKINGTHERAPEUTI- CAL APPLIANCES George L. Winder, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,assignor to American Anode, Inc., Akron, Ohio, a corporation of DelawareApplication March 28, 1934, Serial No. 717,763

4 Claims. (01. 18-41) This invention relates to the manufacture of Fig.3 is a view showing an article made upon rubber articles of complicatedstructure such as the form of Fig. 2', with portions of the form beingarticles internally divided into channels for the stripped from withinthe article, and parts of the circulation of fluids therethrough andwhich are article being broken away to show more clearly Fries 5particularly adapted for therapeutical use. the structure of thearticle. 5

A therapeutical treatmenthas been perfected Fig. 4 is a section taken online l-4 of Fig. 3. which requires uniform application of controlled Asone illustration of the apparatus of the heat or cold to the mucouslinings of certain natpresent invention, the manufacture of a relativelyural bodily cavities. In the application of such long tubular applicatoradapted for treating tutreatment, a hollow flexible fluid-tightapplicator bular bodily cavities will be described, reference 10 isinserted into the bodily cavity to be treated being had to Figs. 1through 4. In the manuand water or other fluid at a desired temperaturefacture of such an applicator, I provide a pair of is circulated throughthe applicator. For emsimilar mating rod-like form members l9, Hl eachciency and uniformity of heat transfer, it is depreferably having a-flatarea ll extending 1on sirable that the water shall be caused tocirculate gitudinallyv of the rod for a substantial distance, 15throughout the applicatorand that the walls of and each preferablyhaving a slightly raised flat the applicator shall be thin andpreferably somecontacting surface 52 extending from the flat whatelastic and distensible to provide for fitting area it to an end of therod. Each of the rods the applicator to the irregularities of the cavitypreferably is bent into an ogee curve in a direclining by distension ofthe applicator effected by Q away from t e t area a beginning internalfluid pressure. It is also necessary to the'margin of the aforesaid fiatarea removed provide compact means for conveying water or from thecontacting surface. The two rods then other fluid to'and from' theapplicator. It is of are mounted in mating relation withtheir flatcourse also essential that the appliance shall be areas in. parallelslightly spaced apart relation- 5 of simple structure to permit easy andfrequent ship, and with their contacting surfaces in inti- 5 cleaningand sterilization necessary as a consemate contact. This mounting may beaccomquence of the nature of service to which the ap- P sh o en y by pov a holder conpliance is put. sisting for example of a rectangularmetallic bar As a material for making such appliance, rubl3 providedwith a long supporting handle I4 ber meets the requirements as to fluidimpermeand having a pair of holes l5, l5 adapted to 30 ability,elasticity, flexibility, sanitary qualities, receive the n n-Co tac endsof the W T0615, etc., but ordinary methods of rubber manufacthe twoholes being so spaced that when the rods ture are not adapted to producethe unusual, freare inserted therein in the mating relation dequentlysmall, and somewhat complicated strucscribed, the contacting surfaces atthe opposite tures required in appliances which must conform ends 01 t erods Wi e urged against each Other 35 in shape to natural bodilycavities such as for with sufficient pressure to tension the rods andexample the small tubular nasal and ear pasmaintain them in the desiredposition. The assages, the urethra, etc., and which at the same sembledapparatus, preferably with the contacttime must be constructed toprovide for the ciring ends of the rods pointing upward, is imculationof water through all parts thereof. mersed in a liquid dispersion ofrubber l6 such 40 Accordingly the chief object of this invention is ascompounded natural rubber latex'contained in to provide an efficient andeconomical apparatus a tank W, and a uniform relatively thin coating formaking rubber articles of complicated and of rubber is deposited overthe entire form, and unusual structure of the type indicated above.within the open Space between the flat areas of Other objects will beapparent from the followt e rod e t r by Simply pp th o m nto 45 ingdescription of the invention as applied to the the dispers o One moretimes y ac ermanufacture of several related types of theraating thnormal deposition using a y of the well peutical appliances. knownmethods of accomplishing such results. Of the accompanying drawing, Thenpreferably, although not necessarily, the

Fig. 1 is an elevation of apparatus, in a disform is raised (asindicated by the dotted outline 50 assembled state, for forming a rubberarticle. in Fig. 2) until the liquid level of the dispersion Fig. 2 isan elevation showing the apparatus of strikes the form. at a pointslightly above the Fig. 1 assembled to provide a form and a supportpoint of convergence of the curved rods, and the therefor, and showingthe form immersed in a deposition is continued, or the lower portion of5 liquid dispersion of rubber. the form is redipped several times tobuild up upon the lower .or diverging portions of the rods a coating ofrubber considerably heavier than the initial coating covering the entireform. The composite coating then is dried and vulcanized. Thereafter,the rubber covering each of the two rods is cut at a point just abovethe rectangular supporting bar, the rods are removed from the holes inthe bar, and each of the separate rods' integral diverging connectingtubes 2|, 2|. for

conveying water to and from the applicator. Such an appliance isdescribed and claimed in the copending application of Raymond W. Al'-bright, Serial No. 717,943, filed March 29, 1934.

It will accordingly appear that I have provided a simple apparatus formaking articles of unusually complicated structures such as are requiredin therapeutical appliances of the type described, although'theapparatus is by no means limited to the manufacture of such appliancesand may be used in making articles for many different purposes wheresimilar structures are required. 7

The term liquid dispersion of rubber has been used in a broad sense toinclude flowable dispersions of caoutchouc, balata, gutta percha,synthetic rubber, and like materials, whether dispersed in an aqueousvehicle as in natural latex and in artificial aqueous dispersions, or ina nonaqueous rubber solvent vehicle as in rubber ce ments. Thedispersions may be concentrated, diluted, thickened, thinned orotherwise preliminarily treated and may contain any desirablecompounding ingredients such as fillers, pigments, vulcanizing agents,age-resisters, etc.

- tionshipwith each of the said contacting surfaces in intimate contactwith a like surface of another forming member. o

2. Apparatus for making a rubber article from a liquid dispersion ofrubber comprising a plurality of rods, each having a protrudingcontacting surface occupying a minor portion of the length of the rod,and supporting means for mountingthe rods in parallel slightly spacedapart relationship with their contacting surfaces in intimate contact.

3. Apparatus for making a rubber article from a liquid dispersion ofrubber comprising a pair of mating rods, each having a fiat areaextending for a substantial'portion of the length of the rod and aprotruding contacting surface occupying a minor portion of the length ofthe rod, and supporting means for mounting the rods with their fiatareas in parallel slightly spaced apart relationship and. with thecontacting surfaces in intimate contact.

. 4. Apparatus for making a rubber article from a liquid dispersion ofrubber comprising a pair of rods, each having a protruding contactingsurface occupying a portion of the length of the rod, and supportingmeans for mounting the rods in parallel slightly spaced apartrelationship with their contacting surfaces forcibly urged into inti- 40mate contact.

GEORGE L. WINDER.

